Intoxication
by ObsessiveCompulsiveValkyrie
Summary: She had a job to do and nothing was going to get in her way... Not even love. Cloud/Tifa AU. Rated M for a reason. Read with caution!
1. Chapter 1

**Title**: Intoxication Part 1/5  
**Author**: Valk  
**Rating**: R  
**Warnings**: Language, sex, deception, politics  
**Word Count**: 15,500  
**Prompt**: Cloud/Tifa, Remedy, "If you are the poison…"  
**A/N**: Hoo, boy… This one turned out to be really, really, really long. My heartfelt thanks to Valentine'sNinja for helping me throughout the entire process! The warnings apply to the whole story, not just this one section.

As you can tell, this is a five-part fic. I wrote it for a prompt on Springkink, so it's posted there and it's all done, so I'll be posting the other parts shortly. Enjoy!

* * *

Tifa Lockhart was not a nice girl. She played the games of the heart, and she played them well. She could talk the talk and walk the walk. To this day, no man has been able to resist her charms, falling like putty in her roaming fingers. That wasn't to say she abused their hearts just to watch them get crushed, she just didn't see the point in keeping a relationship when there was no longer any reason to. She may not be the most compassionate woman when it came to break-ups, but it didn't matter anyway. She had things to do and a plan to follow, never mind who got hurt in the process.

She contemplated these thoughts shortly after waking one morning, glancing out the window in front of her at the drab, steel buildings of Midgar. The sun shone brightly into the large bedroom, clueing her into the late hour of roughly eleven. She turned to roll onto her back, causing the tall, dark-haired man to stir beside her before waking. He shot her a grin. "Morning, Tarja."

She returned the smile with a fake one, knowing it could fool anyone. Speaking with an Icicle Inn accent, she said, "Good morning, Zack."

"Damn, girl… That was amazing…"

_Damn right it was._ She slid out of bed, boasting her shapely body before him as she scavenged for her clothing. Plucking her skintight microscopic skirt from the floor, she slid it past her thighs and pulled the zipper up. He sat up against the headboard and watched as she finished dressing into her embroidered silk top. Leaning over with an enticing bend of the waist, she picked her panties up with her thumb and index finger before tossing them to him and flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. She gave him a wink and turned to the door, cooing over her shoulder, "Goodbye, Zack."

His grin widened. "Yeah. Call me, 'kay?"

"Actually… I don't think that's the best idea. Thank you for the lovely evening." She gave him a flirty waggle of her fingers before turning to the door and walking out.

*******

He sat back in his chair, skimming the front page of the classifieds section while sipping his espresso. Setting down his mug, he picked up his bearclaw and took a bite, placing it back on the glass plate in front of him. He heard footsteps approach, followed by the chair across from him pulling out and someone dropping down into it. Glancing over his paper at the new man, he said, "Morning, Zack. Any reason why you're almost an hour late today?"

Zack sighed, running a hand through his messy black mane. "Yeah… Sorry, Cloud. I was, ah, busy this morning…"

Cloud rolled his eyes, taking a sip of his coffee. "Dare I ask?"

His shoulders drooped as he grabbed Cloud's pastry and took a bite. "I was busy having a total hottie tell me I was just a one-night stand."

Cloud pushed his bearclaw towards Zack, suddenly not hungry anymore. "Oh, Goddess… You're sick."

"C'mon, Cloud. Don't you have any compassion?"

"No."

"Cloud…"

"You're disgusting and a bad example to your younger brother. Good thing he knows better than to follow in your footsteps."

"Aw, c'mon, Cloud! I haven't been that bad to you, have I?"

He turned back to the housing ads. "Yes, Zack, you have."

"Geez… And here I thought you'd be happy for me."

"And why would I be?"

"I wasn't on your couch last night, was I?"

"That's no excuse!"

"Whaaat…!?"

"Zack, there's a difference between being responsible, getting a job, and paying for your own place and crashing with the first cute girl who walks through the door."

He dropped his head to the table. "Never mind… You wouldn't get it."

Cloud stood, tucking his paper under his arm. "I'll take that as a blessing."

"Damn it, Cloud! Support your brother now and then!"

He shook his head, saying nothing while trying to let his anger settle down and walked out the door of the café. Zack followed at his heels, grabbing his shoulder. The blond turned with a sigh. "What?"

"C'mon, Cloud! Hear me out and I promise to listen the next time you get laid!"

"Zack, that's disgusting. Whatever happens behind closed doors should stay there."

"Who ever said the door was closed?"

Cloud dropped his head to his palm. "You are sick, Zack."

"Aw, come on, Cloud! You know I'm just kidding!"

"Sometimes I wonder."

"Cloud, you know I'm not-" he paused mid-sentence when a chime came from his brother's pocket.

Cloud pulled his expensive cell phone from his pocket and held up a hand towards Zack in a 'just a sec' manner before walking a few feet away and answering it. "Cloud Strife."

The masculine voice on the other end spoke, "It's Kunsel. We've got a bit of a situation at the office. Can you get here?"

"I'm on my way. Give me ten."

"Yes, Sir."

Cloud ended the call and slipped the phone back into his suit jacket before walking back over to Zack. "I have to go. There's a problem at the office and they need me there. Can I trust you to get home on your own?"

"Pft! It's not even noon, Cloud! Why in the hell would I go home?"

"Whatever. I have to go." He turned and started walking before his brother could say anything else and climbed into his car.

*******

She walked through the door and kept walking as a large man came around the corner and fell into step beside her. She sighed and stuck a hand in her blonde hair, shifting it back and forth in annoyance. "How was everything while I was gone, Avalanche?"

He grunted in reply. "Jus' fine, Bartender. How're things on your end?"

"Smooth, as always. Did you doubt me?" She stopped at a mirror and pulled her contact lenses out, making her formally blue eyes red again.

"Not at all."

"Good." She started walking again. "There's an event tonight that the target will be attending. It's by invitation only, so…"

"…So you goin'?"

"Of course. Fill First in and give me an I.D. and an invitation. I'll need some back story under the name 'Tifa Lockhart.'"

He gave a sigh. "Anythin' else?"

"A shower. God, I hate being blonde and tan. It's a miracle they make wash-out dye."

*******

Cloud marched up to the wide double doors and walked inside, stopping at the front desk and showing an identification card. The secretary moved a touch pad to the top of the desk with a white hand print on it and he set his hand to it. A moment later, a green light blinked and the thick metal doors on the elevator parted. He walked inside and pressed the button for the sixty-ninth floor before swiping his I.D. through the slot as authentication.

The glass cylinder started to move and Cloud took the time to straighten his suit and fix his naturally unruly hair. The doors parted and he stepped off. "Kunsel, what's the pro-"

"Happy birthday, Mr. Secretary!"

He sighed and surveyed the crowd gathered outside his office. "You all know I don't believe in birthday parties in the office. Kunsel, did you call me in seven hours before the gala for that?"

Kunsel shoved his way through the crowd. "Come on, Sir… Have a slice of cake!"

"Kunsel… My office. Now."

Kunsel followed after his boss and closed the door behind him. He looked around the plushy room and remained standing as he spoke, "Sir, there is an actual reason for calling you in early."

"Well?"

"Mr. Highwind had a few choice words for you and I wanted to give you heads up."

"What does the Secretary of Transportation want with the Secretary of Defense?"

"He was very disturbed by the amount of protection you assigned to protect the president tonight. He'll probably be stopping by at some point. Oh, and the Press Secretary will probably be coming by to ask you to attend the gala as her date."

"That's against regulations and Miss Gainsborough knows it." He started sifting through all the pages of paperwork on his desk before looking up and waving a hand. "You're dismissed."

"Sir!" Kunsel turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

*******

Climbing out of his car, Cloud walked inside the large restaurant-slash-ballroom reserved for the president's return from Cosmo Canyon and wasted no time in taking a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. He wandered through the crowds, greeting guests with a quick hello.

After about an hour of mingling, the president walked forward for a speech. Cloud sighed and pretended to pay attention as he droned on about his adventures with the lion-like people of Cosmo Canyon and all the things they had taught him. He laughed when the crowd laughed and toasted along with everyone else at the end.

After President ShinRa's speech, Cloud moved through the crowd and continued up to greet him. He saluted on instinct from his military background and spoke, "Sir! Good to see you home, Mr. President."

Rufus turned to greet his Secretary of Defense. "Ah, thank you, Cloud. It's good to be home!"

He nodded his acknowledgement and turned to leave as another member of the Cabinet started talking to the president. Cloud shifted through the crowds, making his way back to the restaurant end of the building in the hopes it would be quieter there. He walked through the doors to find all the lights turned off and sighed at the sweet silence now filling his ears.

Moving through the tables with mako-enhanced efficiency, he found his way to a corner booth and dropped down into it, jumping back to his feet at the sound of a feminine, "Oof!"

He pulled his cell phone out to work as a light and pointed it at the booth to find a young woman sitting there, holding her head. She blinked and looked up at him. "Geez. Can't you be a little more romantic when waking a woman?"

He looked her over, wondering who this woman was. She had long dark hair, dark eyes, and a light blue dress that was short, but still at an appropriate length. He sighed and said, "I'm sorry about, er, sitting on you, but you really shouldn't be alone in the dark."

"Hmph!" Her mouth formed a pout and she crossed her arms. "Well, if I could hear you coming, I would've alerted you to my presence!"

"But didn't you say I woke you up?"

"You got a text from someone named Zack."

His brow creased together as he took in her words. "What?"

"Your phone. You have a text."

"Oh, right." He turned his phone to read it and sighed before thumbing a response and slipping the phone in his pocket. She watched as he took up the seat opposite her and raised his champagne back to his lips.

"So…"

"Hm?"

"What's your name?" She held her hand out across the table. "I'm Tifa."

He accepted the gesture. "Cloud. Cloud Strife."

She gasped. "_The_ Cloud Strife? As in the Secretary of Defense Cloud Strife?"

"Apparently."

"Oh, my God! I can't believe I'm actually talking to a member of the Cabinet!"

"Eh, okay…"

"I studied poli sci in school… You guys are like movie stars to me. I'm sorry, I just…"

"Political sciences, eh? Are you working for someone here?"

"Unfortunately, no. I came here as a guest with a friend who happens to be gainfully employed… He thought I might be able to get a job, but I haven't had much luck yet…"

"Hm. I might be able to help. What sort of credentials do you have?"

"I just earned my Master's degree this past spring. I have a Bachelor's in political sciences, too."

"Where do you specialize?"

"I studied law, too. I'm hoping I'll be able to run as a public official someday."

"Is that so? That's quite the ambition. Do you have any idea how much a campaign costs?"

"I have a friend in accounting, so I have a general idea. I know it's expensive, though. It's going to take a lot of work, but it would be worth it if I could help."

"That's rather admirable. Let me know if I can help."

"You'd do that?! Thank you so much! Oh, I could just hug you right now!"

He held up a hand. "Don't be getting ahead of yourself, now…"

The lights clicked on in the bistro and they both looked up to see one of the waiters walking in. He caught sight of the two of them sitting in the booth and stammered, "I-I'm sorry, Mr. Secretary! I didn't know anyone was in here!"

He sighed. "Don't worry about it. It's not what you think. Go about your business."

The waiter nodded and walked towards the kitchen, leaving the two alone again. Cloud turned back to Tifa, raising a mental eyebrow at the shade of red her eyes glimmered and the way her silky brown hair fell across her shoulders. "So, tell me… What sort of changes would you bring if you made it into office?"

"Hm, well, I'm still working on my full plan, but I know I want to do something about the homeless. Give them food, get them into shelters, find them jobs… Oh! And the industrial portion! They're causing so much pollution. I'd work on finding new methods of emitting exhaust so it wouldn't hurt the planet so much."

He gave a little smile and leaned forward on the table. "You know, I like your ideas. You'd have my vote."

"Really?! Thank you! I really can't say it enough!"

"What sort of background do you have? Any personal issues you'd want to bring forward?"

"Um, not really. I was born out west-"

"In Wutai?"

"Not that far west. I'm from the mountains on the Western Continent. A little town called Nibelheim."

"Oh, really? Nibelheim, eh?"

"Yeah. I came here for college and haven't left."

"Wait, Tifa? Tifa Lockhart?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "Wha-?"

"You lived right near the water well, right?"

"Um, yeah, but… How do you…?"

"You don't remember me?"

"Um, not really… Oh! You're _that_ Cloud! Oh, my God! I didn't even recognize you!"

He managed a small smile and reached a hand up to prod the tallest spike of his hair. "If I can be honest, I really haven't heard anyone say that to me before."

She giggled. "Yes, I do recall some very pointy hair. I don't know why it didn't cross my mind! I've just been so busy since coming here!"

"I'd imagine so. I only have a Bachelor's, but I was in the military for years."

"Yeah, I know. I read an article about you during school. It never mentioned Nibelheim, though. That, and I remember you leaving the town to become some bigshot SOLDIER. How did that go for you?"

"Well, I'm the Secretary of Defense at the age of twenty-six with only a Bachelor's degree in law. How do you think I did?"

"First Class?"

"First Class by the time I turned eighteen, a mere three years after joining."

"Wow! Impressive!"

"Thanks. It did take a lot of hard work—still does—but it's worth it."

"That's so cool…"

Cloud looked up as the doors to the restaurant opened and people started to file in for dinner. He rolled his eyes and turned to Tifa. "Well, I guess this is goodnight for now."

"Oh, Cloud! Who's this cutie? Don't tell me you're cheating on me?"

He sighed as a petite woman slid into the booth next to him and wrapped an arm affectionately around his shoulders. "Tifa, this is Aerith Gainsborough, the Press Secretary. She also has a strange thought stuck in her mind that she and I are dating. We're not, though. More of a brother-sister relationship to me."

"I see." Tifa held her hand out toward the woman. "A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Secretary!"

"The pleasure is mine, er…?"

"Tifa. Tifa Lockhart."

"Nice to meet you, Tifa." She stood up. "Well, I'm off to go find a decent table to eat at."

Cloud looked up at her and caught her arm before she got very far. "Say, Aerith… Aren't you looking to hire a secretary?"

She sighed. "Yes… The last one was found eating paper. I wouldn't have had a problem with it, but he started eating important memos and documents meant for the higher-ups to see. I had to let him go."

"Do you think Tifa could interview? She seems to be rather qualified."

Aerith beamed. "Of course! We'd have to do an extensive background check, jump through the loops of applying and interviewing and all the mess that comes with starting a job in the sixtieth-plus floors of the ShinRa Building. In the mean time, I'd be happy to look at your résumé."

Tifa turned and reached down on the seat next to her. A leather portfolio opened and she came up with a piece of paper. "Here's my résumé! I came here to find a job, so I thought I should come prepared, right?"

She let out a laugh. "I like this girl already! I better go, though. I promised I'd keep the treasurer company during dinner."

_I'm liking this girl, too… _Cloud thought as he nodded. "Alright. Enjoy your evening."

"Thanks! You, too!"

Tifa waved after her. "Thank you so much! It was really nice to meet you!"

A waiter walked up to their table with a pad and pencil and set a menu down in front of either of them. "What can I get you for this evening, Mr. Secretary? Miss?"

*******

When dinner was over, Cloud watched as Tifa slipped her portfolio inside a canvas bag and stood up. He followed suit and extended an arm to her. "Care to dance?"

She grinned and took his arm. "I would love to, Sir."

"No 'Sir.' Just Cloud."

"Alright. Just Cloud."

"Shall we?"

She nodded and walked with him back over to the ballroom, where classic Tuesti pieces played through the elaborate hall. They found an open place on the dancefloor and moved to face each other before shifting to hold hands. She gave him a sheepish grin and whispered, "I'm apologizing for your feet… I've never danced before…"

He cast her a small smile in return. "Alright. I'll keep that in mind."

They moved to the music and, sure enough, she managed to step on his toes before a minute had passed. She stepped back in alarm, exclaiming, "Oh, my God, I'm so sorry!"

He straightened up and pulled her against him. "That's alright. I've had much worse than a foot on my toes."

"I did give you fair warning."

"I told you, it's okay." He started to move to the music again and tugged her into motion. "What's wrong? It was just one mistake."

"Um, okay… I just… I mean… I just stepped on the toes of the Secretary of Defense…" She gave a weak chuckle. "It's not something to brag about, you know…"

He smiled and pulled her closer as a slower piece started. "Hm, I suppose."

They continued to dance for awhile, chatting a bit about themselves. She let out a yawn and looked around for a clock. Cloud pulled out his phone and checked it before saying, "It's one-fifteen."

"Oh, really? I should probably go home, then… I have an appointment tomorrow…"

He slowly let her go and sighed before calling after her, "Join me for dinner tomorrow?"

She stopped walking and turned to face him, shock clear on her face. "I… Uh, sure… I'd like that."

He opened the phonebook in his cell and glanced at her. "What's your number?"

*******

Tifa walked into her apartment and looked around. A dark-haired head poked out around the corner and grinned. "Oy! Bartender! It's you!"

"Is that you, Thief? You got a haircut!"

"Yeah…" The girl grinned again. "I'm going to be starting another mission when I'm done here. Just doing some surveillance work, but I'll be around under the name 'Yuffie' if you need someone to vouch for you."

"Thanks, but I always work alone."

"Geez, don't get all snippety. I was just arranging your new apartment. You've got all new clothes in the closet, food in the kitchen, political-y books stacked everywhere, old campaign posters, all that sort of stuff. I'll be back for the meeting at two tomorrow."

"No, Thief, I'll be going to the HQ. I told the target I had an appointment and I don't trust him to not have me followed or watched. I have to leave to go somewhere that would seem appropriate. Say, does Shooter still have his connections to that garage? I think my car has been making a funny noise…"

"What car?"

"You'll handle that, won't you?"

* * *

Let me know what you think! Review, please?

-Valk


	2. Chapter 2

**Title**: Intoxication Part 2/5  
**Author**: Valk  
**Rating**: R  
**Warnings**: Language, sex, deception, politics  
**Word Count**: 15,501  
**Prompt**: Cloud/Tifa, Remedy, "If you are the poison…"  
**A/N**: So, here's part two… Not much else to say… Thanks to all of you folks who took the time to read the first part! I hope you enjoy part two!

***

Cloud got out of his car and walked around to open the passenger door for Tifa. She stepped out and smiled shyly at him. He raised an eyebrow at her as he helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"Um, yeah… I just… Can I be completely honest with you?"

"Of course."

"I'm just a little nervous… I've never been on a date with a Cabinet member before."

He smiled and started walking for the door, still holding her hand. "There's nothing to be nervous about. Underneath all the formalities and military experience, I'm just a regular guy."

"But, still… You're famous."

"Don't worry. The press doesn't care as much for Cabinet members as they do for elected officials or recreational celebrities. Especially since I'm still single. No scandal for them to build off of. If anything, we'll be in a small corner of a magazine or something. Nothing drastic."

"Okay… If you're sure…"

"I am. Come on, those reservations won't fill themselves."

She let out a giggle and gave him a mock salute. "Yes, Sir!"

He laughed as they started into the fancy restaurant for dinner. Cloud walked over to the podium and spoke to the maître d', "Reservations for Strife."

The maître d' smiled warmly and picked up two menus. "This way, Sir; Ma'am."

Cloud and Tifa walked after the woman and took their seats at a secluded table in the corner. About an hour later, they had their food ordered and in front of them while they made small-talk. Without much warning, Cloud reached out and set his hand on top of hers. She looked up in surprise and swallowed her food before asking, "Wha-?"

He averted his gaze slightly but kept his hand on hers. "Tifa, I'm curious… Do you see us having a second date?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"You heard me… Do you see us on a second date?"

"Well, uh, I…"

He fell back in his seat. "You don't, do you?"

"No, that's not what I was going to say. It's just… I thought this kind of _was_ our second date."

He sat up again at the renewal of hope. "You think so? I mean, last night was more of an introduction to me…"

She giggled. "Well, we _were_ dancing awfully close for it to not be a date…"

"Alright, fine. Do you see us having a third date?"

"And fourth, and fifth, and sixth…"

He smirked and leaned closer to her. "Exactly what I was hoping to hear."

When their dinner was done and Cloud paid the check, they stood up to leave. They walked out into the humid summer weather and back over to his car before getting in. He drove the route he'd memorized earlier that evening and pulled into the parking lot outside Tifa's apartment. After pulling into an open space near the door, he shifted to park and let out a laugh as fat raindrops started to splatter against the windows. "You think it's an omen? Our first real date and it rains?"

She giggled. "I happen to believe that rain symbolizes new beginnings."

Cloud was silent for a moment as he thought about it. "Huh. I like your version better."

She laughed again before falling to silence for a moment. "So, I guess I should go in…"

He opened the lock on the door and pulled the keys out. "I'll walk you up."

"You don't have to… I mean, I don't want your suit to get ruined in the rain."

"Oh, come now… If this is our 'new beginning,' then we should go enjoy it together."

"Aw, aren't you romantic."

He only smiled in response before climbing out of the car and into the rain. Tifa stepped out to join him and walked around the car to lead him up to the door. She pulled her keys out of her multi-colored knit shoulder bag that served as her purse and started to fiddle with them while walking beside him.

Cloud reached out and grabbed hold of her arm to stop her. She turned to face him, hair drenched in the rain by now, and stared at him with wide eyes as he pulled her closer to him. He moved one hand up to push her hair back behind her ear while his eyes flicked back and forth, searching hers.

She sucked a breath in between her teeth as he started to lean closer, slowly covering her lips with his. Her arms moved up to wrap around his shoulders and pull him to her as his free hand moved up behind her waist. His palm pressed against her back and held her there while the rain continued to plummet down around them.

He pulled back after a minute and slowly opened his eyes to take in the faint blush on her cheeks. His arm slid away from her waist, causing her to stumble a little out of dizziness. On instinct alone, his hands moved to catch her arms and keep her steady as she kept her gaze locked on his. He swallowed and whispered, "I'm sorry… Should I not have done that…?"

She continued to stare for a few moments before finally finding her voice, "I… Cloud…"

He continued to watch her. "Tifa?"

"I…" She shook her head. "No, Cloud… I mean, yes! I mean… I…" Giving her head another shake, she jumped forward and pressed her mouth to his.

He went with it, kissing her back hungrily. As if on a queue, they broke it off simultaneously and looked at one another tenderly.

"So, ah…" Cloud scratched his head. "I'll call you?"

She looked down at the toes of her heels. "Uh, yeah. That sounds good."

"I should head home…"

"I need to get upstairs and feed my fish…"

"I have an early day and need to sleep…"

"I'll see you later, right?"

"Yeah, I'll call tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure. Sounds good."

They stood there in awkward silence before exchanging one last glance and going their own ways. Cloud slipped back into his car and watched as Tifa opened the door and, after casting another glance, smile, and wave over her shoulder, disappeared inside.

*******

Tifa leaned back in the swiveling papasan chair in her apartment with a cigarette between her fingers, using her foot on the leg of the coffee table to push herself back and forth. She raised the tobacco to her lips and inhaled, relishing in the feel of it racing down into her lungs.

"Aren't you supposed to be kicking that habit for this job?"

She didn't bother to turn in the direction of the voice and replied, "Shut up, Thief. I'll smoke if I damn well want to."

"But what if that target sees you? Surely he wouldn't be pleased to see his girlfriend smoking her lungs to hell."

"Fuck you, Thief. I just need to relax."

"You're not getting too attached, are you?"

"Hell, no. A job's a job. I'll finish this one just as cleanly as I've done all the others."

"But it's already been a week… You've got nothing to show for it except a few measly dates."

"Cloud Strife is not an easy man to manipulate. He's got nine years of military training under his belt plus a thick government paycheck to pay for any and all private investigators he might feel like hiring. This job _is_ going to take time and I assured First before we even started. The result will be worth it, though, if we can get our hands on those codes."

*******

Cloud walked up the stairs beside Tifa on their way to his apartment. Their fingers stayed loosely linked, hanging between them as he gently pulled her along. "Hey, Tifa… How's your job going?"

She smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "I just started, so I'm still in training, but it's really been great! I'm so excited to be working there!"

"Mm. I'm sorry I won't be able to see you at all. There are regulations against relationships in the office…"

"That's okay. I'm happy spending these nights with you."

"Tifa…" He chuckled softly. "We've only been together for three weeks, but I feel so close to you already."

"You know, when I went to that gala, all I was looking for was a job. I didn't expect to meet you and… um, start dating you."

Cloud stopped and turned to face her, moving to run his free hand through her hair. "And… do you regret it?"

"Dating you?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Not at all." She slipped her hands up to circle his shoulders and leaned closer, touching her forehead to his. "I've never been happier."

Both of his hands came up to settle around her waist as he whispered, "Good." He angled his chin so he could lean in and kiss her, pushing his tongue past her lips to explore.

She pulled back hesitantly, looking up at him with wide eyes. "Cloud, I…"

He smiled softly and shifted to link their fingers again. "Come on. Let's go inside." He reached into his pocket and pulled a set of keys out. After selecting one, he stuck it into the lock of the door before pausing and saying, "Er, Tifa… I should warn you… My brother might be home. He's… lacking in the maturity department. Just don't pay him any mind, okay?"

"Um, sure…"

"And I'm sorry if he makes any inappropriate comments. He has no idea how to treat a woman."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Thanks." He pushed the door open and let her in first. She walked inside and looked around, stopping when she spotted the raven-haired man sitting on the sofa.

He raised a beer bottle in greeting and grinned. "Heya! Aren't you a beauty!"

Cloud followed in right behind Tifa. "Zack, quiet. Tifa is way out of your league." He shook his head and made introductions. "Tifa, this is my brother, Zack. Zack, this is my girlfriend, Tifa."

Tifa nodded but stayed where she stood. "Hi… Nice to meet you."

Zack grinned wider. "Heh. Cloud's told me quite a bit about you, you know. The poor kid is smitten."

"Zack, shut up…" Cloud mumbled at the same time Tifa asked, "I take it Zack is older than you?"

"Yep! Cloudy's my lil' brother…"

Cloud sighed and touched a hand to his forehead. "And yet, I'm the successful one." He nudged Zack on the shoulder as he walked past to hang his jacket. "Get out."

"Aw, come on, Cloud! I gotta stay and make sure you kids don't go off and do anything inappropriate!"

"Zack, I invited Tifa over so she and I could have a private evening. Seeing as to how I'm the one paying for the condo, I think you can leave for the night." He reached in his back pocket and pulled out some gil before handing it to Zack. "Here's enough to get you a hotel for the night. Enjoy yourself."

"Oh, fine…" He took the gil and stood, winking at Tifa as he passed by her. "Say… Do I know you? You look a little familiar…"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

Cloud set two crystal wine glasses on the counter. "Tifa grew up next door to us in Nibelheim. That's probably where you saw her."

Zack shrugged. "Probably. Ah, well, I'll see you tomorrow, Cloud. Maybe you, too, Tifa."

A blush crept up on her cheeks. "I…"

The blond rolled his eyes. "Zack, now."

"Fine, fine…" He walked out the door and shut it behind him.

The sound of his footsteps faded down the corridor and Tifa looked around for a minute, just taking in the room. "So, Cloud… Um…"

"I really want to apologize for my brother. He's always had a few issues."

"It's okay! Really!"

"Good. So," he held up two bottles, "red or white?"

She giggled and stepped out of her shoes to join him by the kitchen counter. "Red."

He smiled and held up a bottle of decade-old Pinot Noir wine and a corkscrew. He nodded towards the stools on the opposite side of the counter and said, "Have a seat, won't you? The sofa's a bit messy because of Zack, so the stools are about all there is."

She fought her blush down as she accepted her glass. "Thank you, Cloud."

He came around the counter to sit beside her with his own glass. "Only the best for you."

She wriggled for a moment on the stool before looking up at him with a smile. "I'm sorry. The stool is just kind of uncomfortable."

He nodded his agreement. "I'm sorry… With the couch otherwise occupied, it's either the stools or my room."

Her cheeks almost colored as she whispered, "Can we go back…?"

He raised his gaze to meet hers. "Tifa…" He moved to pick up his glass and the bottle. "Come on… This way."

She slid off the stool and walked after him to the back of the cozy condo. He held the door open for her, watching as she looked over the room and sat down at the foot of the bed. She looked up at him, raising her glass for a refill. "Coming?"

He nodded and walked over, sitting down on the opposite side of the king-sized bed. After refilling her glass, he set the bottle on the nightstand and pulled himself up to lean against the headboard. He held his glass up in a toast and waited as she slipped up about halfway up the bed and clinked glasses.

They drank in silence for a moment before Cloud spoke, "Tifa, I…"

She looked up to meet his eyes and cocked her head. "Hm?"

"Tifa, I hope this doesn't sound too blunt or forward, but it's been awhile since I've dated anyone, so I really have no idea."

"What is it, Cloud?"

"How soon… How soon into a relationship is it considered okay to have sex?"

She blushed and folded her hands on her lap around the stem of her glass. "It's been awhile since I've dated, too, but as far as I know, three dates means sex."

"We just got back from our fifth…"

"Cloud? I… Why…?"

"Tifa, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

She drained her glass for the second time and reached out to deposit it on the desk before turning to crawl up the bed. Stopping right next to him, she twisted to lie down beside him with her head on his chest. She craned across him in order to press her ear over his heart to listen to it beat. Her fingers danced in a circle over his stomach as she absent-mindedly twisted them in his shirt. "Cloud…? Do you want it…?"

His hand came up to rub circles on her back. "Do you?"

"I thought you knew by now… I want what you want."

"Tifa, ever since we started dating, I've felt… connected to you. Like I've known you all my life and not because we were next-door neighbors, but because of something more… I want to know... Do you feel the same?"

"Cloud…" Her fingers moved slightly and started to pull the buttons of his shirt apart. "Can I show you the answer to that…?"

His hand slipped up her back to grab hold of the zipper to her dress. "Tifa…" he whispered as he pulled it down and moved his hand inside to wrap beneath the fabric and rest on her stomach.

She shifted to sit up on her knees and face him, her hands busily freeing the remainder of his buttons. He straightened himself to an upright position and pressed his lips to hers while slipping her dress and the attached bra down her shoulders. Her nimble fingers made quick work of his shirt and shoved the two sides apart. She broke off their kiss and leaned forward to softly press her mouth to the various scars across his chest.

His hands found her shoulders and pulled her back up to eyelevel. He slipped her dress down to her waist and bent down, taking his turn to explore her chest. She elicited a moan of pleasure as his lips paused around the nipple of her right breast. He sucked at it for a moment and lapped his tongue over the already hardened pearl. The sound she made was unlike anything he'd ever heard before and he felt his male ego swell at the fact that _he_ was the one to get her to make it.

He took it one step further and gently nipped at her breast. She gave an exasperated, "Oh!" and arched her back to give him a better vantage point. Her hands slipped down his back and around his waist to find the buckle of his belt and pulled to free it. After that went his button and fly. His mouth shifted to fondle her other breast while his hands moved to slip her dress down past her hips. He angled his body to flip around hers, pushing her down to the bed and climbing above her. She reached down and wriggled for a moment, shoving her dress and underwear down to her ankles before kicking them off.

He sat perched above her, looking her over in all her glory, and pulled his pants and boxers down. Her hands came up and slipped inside his shirt to push it off his shoulders while her lips tended to the thin scar running up the right side of his neck. She kissed his flesh tenderly, paying a specific amount of attention to each scar.

His hand shifted to catch her chin, bringing her lips back up to his. He slipped his other hand down between them to slip inside her and rub at her core. Her head started thrashing back and forth against the pillow, her mind lost in the waves of pleasure consuming her. Unable to wait any longer, he moved his fingers from within her to line himself up to her. He touched his forehead to hers and whispered, "Are you ready…?"

She replied with a small nod and an even smaller squeak of affirmation. He shifted his hips to find his way inside her and released a grunt at the sensations. Her hands wrapped up behind his back to hold him close, her fingernails scratching at his flesh.

They moved awkwardly at first before finding a rhythm that suited them. Once they did, their hips rolled against each other to cause a perfect friction between the two of them. She felt him stiffen above her as their intercourse reached a peak point and she screamed, letting herself free. He immediately followed suit, spilling his seed into her.

She gasped and managed to open her eyes to look up at him. "Cloud, I…"

He brought one hand up to touch her lips, silencing her. "Shh… Don't talk. Please… don't say anything."

She gave a small nod as he rolled to his right, placing them both on their sides so they were facing each other.

He buried his face into her hair and whispered, "Just… stay with me tonight."

* * *

So there's some Cloti smut for ya. Any guesses on what happens from those of you who didn't see this on LJ already?

Please review!

-Valk


	3. Chapter 3

**Title**: Intoxication Part 3/5  
**Author**: Valk  
**Rating**: R  
**Warnings**: Language, sex, deception, politics  
**Word Count**: 15,501  
**Prompt**: Cloud/Tifa, Remedy, "If you are the poison…"  
**A/N**: Ah, a touch of Cloti Naughty. How was it? I'm sorry this took me so long to get it posted. I've been a little busy and I, um, forgot... Whoops. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Cloud lay in bed the following morning, holding Tifa to his side while she slept. He glanced over at the clock on his nightstand beside the bottle of wine to see it was only six o'clock. A knock sounded on the apartment door and Zack's voice called out, "Hey! You kids decent?!"

Cloud rolled his eyes and called back, "No!"

"Too bad! I'm comin' in, anyway!"

Tifa stirred and looked up at Cloud, questioning all the noise at the early hour when Zack burst into the room with a grin. The small brunette gave a yelp and ducked down beneath the blankets. "Oh, my God! What is wrong with you?!"

Zack just grinned wider. "Guess what, Cloud?"

"You just barge in on my girlfriend and I while we're _in bed,_ and expect me to play along with whatever prank you pulled at six in the morning?"

"Dude! Don't you have any faith in me?"

"You really haven't proven yourself worthy of any."

"Fine! Be that way! I just thought I'd let you know I got a job…"

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Really? Where?"

"I'll have you know it's a nice little company! It's called Turtle's Paradise! I'll just be answering the phone, but it's a job. One of my old buddies got me in on it."

Cloud's hand ran over Tifa's back under the covers. "And how long do you think this one will last?"

"Cloud… Can't you give me any support?"

"I've supported you for the last eight jobs you've gotten and I let you sleep on my couch and stay in my house for free when you were evicted from your apartment."

"Alright, I admit. I haven't exactly been a model brother to you, but I swear I'll change! This job is just the ticket I need!"

"Prove it to me."

"I will!" He grinned and started out the door, pausing to lean back in and say, "Thanks for letting me borrow one of your suits, by the way. Don't worry. I took one of your older ones that hadn't ever made it to the tailor. Pants actually reach my ankles." He grinned again and ducked out as Cloud threw the television remote at him.

Tifa's head finally poked out from under the covers with a hot blush covering her cheeks. "U-um…"

Cloud rubbed her back as she settled her cheek on his chest, keeping her eyes down to hide her face. "I'm sorry about that, Tifa… Zack is never up this early nor has he ever come into my room like that."

"I-it's okay… I-I mean…"

He looked down at her. "Tifa?"

"Um, well… I-I just… forgot we were naked…"

His jaw tightened slightly. "Oh, right…"

"So, uh, Cloud…?"

"Hm?"

"What happens next?"

"Hm, well, I have to work a few hours today, but after that, I was thinking lunch, maybe?"

She snuggled her head against his chest to get more comfortable, letting the wide smile spread on her face. "I like that idea."

"Tifa…" He bent down to press a kiss to her hair. "I'm glad this won't ruin our relationship."

"Quite the contrary, I think."

"Good."

*******

Cloud pulled his suit jacket on and turned to Tifa, pressing a kiss to her lips. "If you want to stay here for a bit, I don't mind. Just lock up before you leave."

"Thanks." She smiled sweetly at him and giggled when he moved in to kiss her again. "Cloud… Do you mind if I use your shower?"

"Not at all. I'll call you when I get off work. Probably around one-thirty-ish, okay?"

"Okay!"

"See you later, then. And if Zack bothers you, don't be afraid to hit him. He'll deserve it. If not, think of it as punishment for another sin in the past."

"Okay…"

"Great. See you later, then."

She smiled and watched as he walked out the door and closed it behind him. The second the lock turned, her smile disappeared and she moved over to walk through the apartment. She scoured through the place, searching for her overall target. Bending down on her hands and knees, she started looking under the sofa. She stretched her arm down to feel around for some kind of storage device, looking up in alarm when the locks started opening.

She pulled to get her arm out and cursed when she realized it was stuck. In a last-ditch effort, she reached in her bag with her free hand and threw a tube of lipstick under the sofa. The door opened and Zack walked in with a cup of coffee and a newspaper, raising an eyebrow when he saw Tifa. "What the…?"

She put on her best innocent face and whimpered, "Zack… My lipstick fell under there and when I tried to pull it out, my arm got stuck! Can you help me, please?"

He looked back and forth. "Where's Cloud?"

"He went to work… He said I could stay and get a shower, but I lost my lipstick…"

Zack sighed and set his coffee down on the counter before walking over. Bracing his hands on the back of the sofa, he leaned down and tilted it on its back legs so Tifa could get her arm out. She quickly snatched up her lipstick and smiled sheepishly at Zack as he eased the sofa back down. "Um, I'm sorry about that… I probably looked pretty creepy, huh?"

"A little, yeah." He dropped down on the couch after retrieving his coffee. "So, tell me."

She turned to look at him. "Hm?"

"Do you, you know, like my brother?"

"Yes, Zack, I do. I think…"

"You think what?"

"I think…" She shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, we've only been dating for just about three weeks. It's a little early to say anything else."

"Mm, yeah, I guess." He pointed a finger at her sternly. "You break his heart and I'll hunt you down and kill you."

She gasped in surprise. "W-what…?"

"He's my little brother and he helped me when no one else would. Now it's my turn to take care of him, capiche?"

"I see… But don't worry, Zack. I think I'll find what I'm looking for in this relationship."

He grinned widely. "Good. That's what I needed to hear. I'm done, then. Go on, do what you were doing."

"I think I'll head back to my place and change. See you later, Zack."

*******

Cloud shifted through the crowds and made his way over to the wide fountain at the center of Sector 8. He smiled to himself when he spotted the brunette already waiting, seated on the wide stone brim. Despite the black coat and red scarf she wore, she still looked cold in the frosty December weather.

He tightened his own scarf as he approached her, cracking a wide smile when she spotted him. She grinned back and stood as he closed the space between them and greeted her with a kiss. He pulled back and touched his forehead to hers while slipping a hand in his pocket. He lifted a small, wrapped package from his coat and held it up between them. "Merry Christmas, Tifa."

She gasped and took it from him, looking up at him when she accepted the oblong box. "What is it?"

"If I told you, then that would defeat the purpose of wrapping it. Now, c'mon. Open it."

"Um, okay…" She pulled at the red ribbon and slipped a manicured nail under the tape to open it. After sliding the box out of the paper, she cracked the lid and peered inside. "Oh, Cloud! You shouldn't have!" She lifted the silver necklace with an emerald pendant hanging off of it from inside the box and held it up. "It's beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like you it." He leaned closer and kissed her softly. "I love you, Tifa."

She pulled away from him and looked up in shock. "Cloud, I…"

He tucked her hair behind her ear. "I can't hold it back any longer." He smiled gently and whispered, "I love you."

"Cloud…" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer while tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. "I love you, too, Cloud."

*******

Cloud shifted to climb out of bed one April morning and snatched his boxers from the floor, stretching his back out and giving a yawn. He turned back to smile over his shoulder at the young woman still sleeping in his bed. She stirred slightly and rolled over, looking at him while she woke. He grinned and started to lean closer before pausing. "I'll be right back. Stay here, okay?"

She nodded against the pillow and sat up as he walked into the bathroom and disappeared around the corner. Grabbing her bra from the floor, she pulled it on before skipping over her underwear and grabbing her sundress. After slipping that on, she reached into her bag and closed her fingers around the familiar metal. She swallowed and settled it into the bust of her dress before grabbing a second, differently shaped piece of metal.

She turned with a smile and hid her hands behind her back as Cloud came out of the bathroom, frowning when he saw her. "What did you get dressed for?"

Biting down on her lip, she took a deep breath and said, "Cloud, there's something I've been meaning to ask you…"

He took a step closer from his spot in the bathroom doorway. "What is it, Tifa?"

She whipped the gun from behind her back and pointed it at him. "Where are the codes for the mako reactors?"

His hands shot up on instinct at the sight of a gun. Slowly, his face twisted into one filled with pain as he realized what was going on. "Tifa? All this time, you…"

She reached into her top and pulled the handcuffs from her bra. "Cuff yourself to the door. Both wrists, chain through the handle." She tossed the cuffs to him and, slowly, he knelt to the floor as he did as he was told.

Still pointing the gun at him, she walked over and checked the cuffs to make sure they were secure before stepping back. "Tell me. Where are the codes?"

He stayed silent for a long moment, finally saying, "Tifa, you're WRO, aren't you? You're a member of the stealthiest resistance group known to mankind…"

"I am."

"So, all this… All of this was a lie? You never felt any of those things… You never really loved me… Were you even the girl who grew up next door to me?"

"Yes, I really was that girl. That naïve little brat was me."

"What happened to you? You used to be such a sweet girl."

"I had a cold taste of reality. Surely you heard of the reactor incident in Nibelheim? Six years ago, when I was nineteen, my father and a few other people from town were working in the reactor when something went wrong. The whole structure exploded and killed everyone instantly. Not only that, but the tainted Lifestream that spilled out ruined the terrain around the town and made the whole area infertile for plants and wildlife. The whole town was _killed_ then… All because of that reactor… If we didn't have those, life would be peaceful…"

He finally glanced over at her. "Is that what you truly believe? Do you believe people would be happy without the comfort of mako energy? It makes people's lives easier. Without it, we wouldn't have lights, heat, cars, nothing. I heard about Nibelheim, yes. My aunt and uncle were killed then. I was already in the military by then, but I still remember the moment I heard about it. Just because one out of the eleven reactors was defective doesn't mean all of them will do the same."

"Just… Shut up!"

"Tifa, no matter who you really are, I still love you. Do you even know what that means?"

"Of course I do! I don't have any need for it, though."

He averted his gaze. "I see. You know, maybe Zack did teach me something worthwhile. Love isn't worth chasing after. All it brings is hardship and pain."

She felt tears start to prick at her eyes and willed them to stay back. In an effort to bite them down, she spat, "He was pretty good in the sack, too."

He looked up at her in horror. "_What?_"

"How else do you think I found out about that gala? About where to find you and what kind of girl you would be interested in? I went for the easy bait first."

"You… slept with my_ brother?!"_

"Yep."

"Ugh… Gods… I knew you were too good to be true."

"Don't make me pull this trigger! Just tell me where the fucking codes are!"

"What does it matter? You've already killed me. Just shoot me and end it once and for all."

"Are you sane?! What sort of idiot would take a bullet for something as silly as love?!"

"I would. I loved you, Tifa. But you…"

"Just give me the codes!"

He slowly nodded his head towards the laptop bag under his desk. "Front pocket. There's a flash drive in there. The codes are on there, but you'll have to dig around to find them. They're heavily encrypted."

She pulled it out and pocketed it, not even bothering to check it. "We have people who can break the locks, so to speak."

"Just answer me this, Tifa. What will you do with them? Surely you won't destroy the reactors… That would just repeat Nibelheim."

"That's up to the strategic department. They'll figure it out."

"I find it unlikely that they'll sympathize with you. I'll bet they'll set it to blow. So many more lives and families will be lost. And you'd be the one to blame. Could you live with that?"

"That's not your business."

"Fine. That's all I have to say to you."

She turned to the door, still pointing her handgun at him and whispered under her breath, "Cloud, I stopped lying by the time autumn came around. I really did fall in love with you."

* * *

You all hate me now, don't you? I mean, all of you saw that coming, right?

Review?

-Valk


	4. Chapter 4

**Title**: Intoxication Part 4/5  
**Author**: Valk  
**Rating**: R  
**Warnings**: Language, sex, deception, politics  
**Word Count**: 15,501  
**Prompt**: Cloud/Tifa, Remedy, "If you are the poison…"  
**A/N**: Poor Cloud… All he did was fall in love… Sigh. Sorry this took me so long. I thought of it a couple times, but then I'd get sidetracked with something and I'd forget... I finally got so bored that I drew a self-portrait. How egotistical is that?

* * *

Cloud sat in his office, leaning back in his plush leather chair. He glanced down at his hands before looking out the window at the empty blue June sky. _Three months… Three months since you left me. Damn it… I can't believe I fell for your tricks._

His cell phone buzzed and he picked it up, looking at the screen for the caller I.D. Thinking out loud, he mumbled, "Unknown caller? That's odd." He touched the answer option on the screen and held it to his ear. "Hello? Who are you and how did you get ahold of this number?"

The small voice on the other end whispered brokenly. "…Cloud?"

He jumped out of his chair. "Tifa?!"

"Cloud, I-I'm sorry, I…"

"You have a lot of gall to call me after what you did."

"I know, I just… I'm really sorry, Cloud…"

"Tifa, why are you calling me?"

"I wanted to tell you that I quit the WRO. I crushed the codes and never told the others that I had them. I just… thought about what you said… About how the others wouldn't give a damn about innocents. I left and I want to help."

"What do you mean?"

"Please meet me at the bistro on the corner of Third and St. Argent's. The bistro where we first met… I'll explain there. If you want to bring SOLDIER to arrest me, go ahead. It's the least I deserve. If you don't show at all, I'll understand. But, please… There's something I need to say to you face-to-face."

"What time?"

"Um… You get off at four on Fridays, right?"

"I have an hour lunch."

"Does one work?"

He glanced at the time in the corner of his computer. "Alright. One o'clock. That gives us a half-hour."

"Thank you, Cloud."

He hung up the phone and slipped it in his pocket before opening the top drawer of his desk and pulling his personal firearm from inside. He checked the ammunition before slipping it into the holster under his jacket and walking out to the elevator. On his way past his secretary's desk, he said, "I'm taking lunch, Kunsel. Watch the fort while I'm gone, okay?"

He looked up from the pages on his desk. "Yes, Sir!"

Cloud made his way down to his car and took a deep breath before starting the ignition. He pulled out of the private section of the parking garage. After going through all the security, he continued off in the direction of the bistro while hoping to get there before she did.

He arrived at his destination and found a parking space before making his way up to the doors. Walking inside, he scanned the room before spying Tifa sitting with her back to the door. He made his way over to her and slid in the booth opposite her, the same places they'd been in almost a year ago. She looked up at him with deep sorrow in her eyes before turning her eyes back to the white tablecloth.

Folding his hands, he looked at her squarely and spoke, "What did you want to say?"

"Cloud, I know you won't ever be able to forgive me, but I… I want you to know that I really did love you. Yes, in the beginning, it was all a ploy, but as time went by, I realized I was slowly falling for you."

"Tifa… I fell in love with you. I gave you my heart and I trusted you to take care of it. You broke it in the worst possible way. You lied to me, betrayed me, and threatened to kill me. I can't trust you, Tifa. Never again."

Her eyes filled with tears as she nodded. "I understand, Cloud. I-I'm here to turn myself in." She raised her hands above the table as if waiting for him to cuff her. "I'll tell you everything you want to know about the WRO. I'm through with them."

"Tifa… I'm going to ask one question and I hope you'll be honest with me."

"What is it?"

"Why?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you surrendering yourself? You do know there's a death penalty for all terrorists, right?"

"I don't care. I've had enough of that life."

"I see."

"Cloud? Aren't you going to cuff me? I know you carry a pair with you."

"No, I'm not. Unlike you, I can't bring myself to do that to the one I 'love.'"

"Cloud, I…"

"Save it, Tifa."

She blinked her tears back and looked up at him. "Cloud…" Her hand slipped into her bag and Cloud automatically reached for his weapon, pausing when she pulled out a small box. "I don't have a right to wear this, but I still kept it the whole time."

He froze, recognizing it as the box that accompanied the diamond ring he'd given her in February, on Valentine's Day. "Tifa… If you felt that way, why did you do the things you did?"

"Because I believed in what I was fighting for. I believed I was doing what was right for mankind. I didn't think I had the right to be selfish and live my life for myself with you."

"Tifa, love isn't about living for yourself… If you really loved me, you would've seen that love is about living for the one you care about. Living your life with them and for them just because it feels _right._ There's nothing else to say about it."

"Cloud, I… I really do love you, but I… Here. This belongs to you." She slid the box back across the table towards him. "You deserve to find a woman who will treat you properly."

He picked it up and opened the box to look at the ring. "Tifa… I gave you this because I knew I loved you and I knew I would never find another woman that I would ever love as much as you."

"But, Cloud… Surely you don't _want_ me to wear your ring anymore, right?"

"Tifa, I…" He closed the box and pocketed it. "Let's go. I'm sure there's someone who would like to know about the WRO."

*******

Tifa sat in the passenger seat of Cloud's car, sighing once before speaking, "After Nibelheim collapsed, I vowed to get revenge on ShinRa. I worked in a bar. I listened, I learned, and, eventually, I started pulling off small jobs. Gradually, they became deeper and deeper and, one day, the WRO contacted me. I joined up because I thought it was the perfect opportunity. I stopped thinking for myself and started to think I was thinking for the people… I was such a fool."

He stayed silent as he pulled up outside his apartment, causing Tifa to look up in surprise. "What… What are we doing here…?"

He sighed and leaned back in his seat. "Come on up."

"…Okay."

He led her up the stairs and opened the door, glancing around to make sure Zack was still at work before walking inside. "Alright. Over here." He pulled the coat closet open and moved the umbrella rack out and threw the jackets onto the couch. "Get in."

"Huh…?"

"Tifa… I'm saving your life, here. The least you can do is follow along."

She nodded. "Okay." Slipping inside, she watched as Cloud held a pair of handcuffs towards her. She raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said-"

"I'm not cuffing you. You have the choice to go straight to the grave if you want."

She sighed and took them, fastening one wrist and pausing as Cloud stopped her from doing the other. Instead, he took the other end and attached it to the hanging bar in the closet before handing her a prepaid, untraceable cell phone. She looked at him before accepting it. "Cloud, I don't follow."

"That phone is programmed to send an alarm signal to my phone the second it sends a call. In which case, I'll have SOLDIER here so quick you won't even be able to blink. If you want to live, you'll wait until I call you. Answer with a fake name, or a name you used as a member of the WRO. You'll be my private, anonymous contact who will only give information over the phone. Once there, you'll negotiate for immunity in exchange for information. How much information do you have, exactly?"

"I was the top field agent. The best. I dealt directly with First, our leader. I don't know names, but I can give you locations and physical descriptions."

"Good enough for an arrest. I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure you want to do this?"

She nodded slowly. "Mm-hm. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt… It shouldn't have taken me this long to come to this decision, but it did. I started to doubt it when you said they'd just destroy the reactors. I've had power as the lead agent for so long, I forgot that not everyone thinks like I do. See, our leader just has a personal vendetta against ShinRa. He doesn't give a lick for anyone who gets in-between."

"Tifa, I'll call you in a minute. You understand what I'm trying to do?"

"Yeah. I'll follow your lead."

"Good."

"Cloud? …Thank you."

He nodded once and turned on his heel before marching out.

*******

Cloud stood before the president himself and the rest of his Cabinet. "Sir, I have an anonymous contact who claims to have information about the WRO, but they'll only speak by phone. I have their number and I've already tried tracking it. It's an unregistered cell phone. One of those prepaid, untraceable ones. Should I arrange a group meeting to discuss their terms?"

The president nodded. "Do it. I want the WRO taken out. You have permission to grant him anything he wants."

Aerith, having been previously briefed by Cloud on the exact situation, asked, "Even immunity?"

"Yes, even immunity."

*******

Cloud walked into the conference room a week later with a sigh, bringing with him one of his closest friends, Aerith, and a master negotiator, a man by the name of Sephiroth. He sat down at the head of the table and, after glancing at his notes for the number, dialed the cell phone he'd given to Tifa.

Her voice sounded over the speaker phone, carrying the same cold bite she'd worn when she'd first shown her true colors. "It's about time."

Cloud sighed to himself to gain his composure before replying, "My apologies, Miss…?"

"You can call me Bartender. That was my name among the WRO. And you are?"

"My name is Cloud Strife, Secretary of Defense for President ShinRa. Here with me are Aerith Gainsborough, the Press Secretary, and Sephiroth Crescent, Head of External Communications and Foreign Affairs."

"Is that a bunch of fancy gibberish to say he can talk his way out of a cornfield?"

Sephiroth sighed. "Miss Bartender. I understand you wish to surrender all information regarding the WRO?"

"Yes."

"What, may I ask, do you hope to gain in return?"

"That depends on what information you ask for."

"And that would depend on what information you can give."

"Understandable. I was known as Bartender among the WRO because we desired a stealthy approach above all else. I can't give you names, but I can give you physical descriptions and current and future locations. I can also offer weak points and warehouse sites where we stored all of our weaponry."

Aerith snuck a brief glance at Cloud before saying, "I want to ask you something that I hope you can answer."

"What is it? I'll try my best."

"What triggered your decision to leave? Surely if you have information like you say, you must've been privy to their deeper secrets. Why would one as deep into this sort of thing just suddenly decide to turn herself in?"

"It wasn't a sudden decision. But my exact reasons are not your concern. Just know that I will be providing you with accurate information."

Sephiroth leaned back in his chair and crossed his fingers in front of him. "How can we be so sure?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How can we be sure this information is accurate?"

"Do you have any other opti-" Her voice cut off and she released a gasp. "I have to go. They've found me."

The line went dead and Aerith looked up to glance at Cloud. He wore a panicked expression that only lasted for a brief moment. After schooling his face to appear impassive, he stood and gathered his notes before heading out the door. His friend followed after him, staying silent until they reached his office and shut the door.

Cloud paused in front of his desk and turned to face Aerith. "I need an excuse."

She nodded. "I know. Just go. I'll make up some BS about how you felt sick and I pushed you out the door. Just act the part on your way out."

He pulled his gun out of the top drawer and tucked it into his coat. "Thanks, Aerith."

*******

_This is getting nowhere!_ Tifa sat on the stool inside the closet, one hand cuffed to the hanging bar. She held a paperclip in the other hand that she'd smuggled from Cloud's desk on her way back from a bathroom break. Shifting the end of it inside the hole of the cuffs, she cursed silently as she heard two members of the WRO moving through Cloud's apartment. The sound of glass breaking sounded outside and she forced herself to stay patient with her lock picking.

The door to the apartment opened and Tifa froze. _Cloud can't be back yet…! That means…! Zack!_

She cursed again as Zack's voice sounded, "Hey! Who the hell are you guys?"

The light voice of the woman known as Shuriken replied, "We are WRO. We are here to claim what should be ours."

Tifa felt the lever of the cuffs release and wrenched her hand free as a gunshot echoed, followed by the sound of Zack releasing a panicked yelp. She shoved at the accordion doors to open it from the inside and leapt out, tackling Zack to the floor and down behind the couch before hissing, "Stay down."

He nodded his affirmation as she jumped to her feet and hurdled the couch to face Shuriken and her partner, Pilot. She raised her fists in a ready stance and said, "What are you two doing here for?"

"Heh," the red-headed man with a ponytail gave a snort. "A better question is, what are you doing in the target's closet?"

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't have anything to say to you."

The two of them kept their eyes on her and raised their weapons. She lunged forward, snapping a kick into Pilot's chest. He stumbled backwards and tried to catch his balance as Shuriken fired. Tifa dodged the shot by instinct alone and countered with a jab-cross-roundhouse combo before turning and ducking Pilot's incoming fist.

Shuriken came up behind her in a pincer attack and managed to land a hit to her side. Tifa cringed for a moment before falling back into focus and throwing a well-aimed kick to Pilot's face. She grabbed his weapon from his grip and fired it at him before turning sharply. Looking up just quickly enough, she saw Zack peeking up over the couch to watch her fight while missing the auburn-haired woman's gun pointing towards him. Tifa lunged over to him just as a loud burst sounded behind her.

She felt a sharp pain pierce her left side and glanced down to see her mid-back quickly staining red. Cursing under her breath, she glanced up to see Shuriken watching her, weapon pointed to fire again. Her vision started to blur and she felt the gun in her hand slowly pry free and another shot was fired. _I love you, Cloud… I'm sorry for everything…_ was her last thought as she slumped down over the back of the sofa.

* * *

Well... Howzabout that?

Review?

-Valk


	5. Chapter 5

**Title**: Intoxication Part 5/5  
**Author**: Valk  
**Rating**: R  
**Warnings**: Language, sex, deception, politics  
**Word Count**: 15,501  
**Prompt**: Cloud/Tifa, Remedy, "If you are the poison…"  
**A/N**: And here's the end of it all. Will it be happy or sad? Oh, the possibilities… I'm sorry this took me so long… I kind of forgot… Those of you who have been reading BS&T know that I haven't been the most attentive this past week or so. Enjoy!

Sigh... FFnet must have updated or something... All my triple asterisks are being deleted... I went back to look at my old chapters and all my scene changes were cut! T_T I'll go back and add the transitions later... When I'm bored...

* * *

Cloud raced up the stairs to his condo with his weapon cocked and ready. He paused outside the door and leaned against the wall, reaching out to turn the knob and shove the door open while pointing his gun around. Zack's voice called out, "It's clear, man, but you gotta help Tifa! I… I don't know what to do, Cloud!"

The blond lowered his weapon as he briefly examined the main room and counted the two still redheads on the floor and a gun lying by the female's slack fingers. He looked over to see Zack sitting on the floor with another gun next to him and a bleeding form in front of him. He recognized it as Tifa immediately and ran over, dropping to his knees as he got closer. A quick survey of the bloody rags lying around told him all he needed to know as he moved to hold the towel pressed to Tifa's back.

Zack moved his blood-stained hands back and slowly asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Cloud lifted the cloth to examine the extent of her wound. He cursed under his breath and, unwilling to take his eyes off of Tifa, called over his shoulder, "Get the case in my closet."

"You mean the one-?"

"Yes, the one I told you to never touch."

Zack ran off and Cloud focused his whole attention on the bleeding woman before him. He pressed the cloths to her wound with one hand and absently ran the fingers of his other hand through her hair. Swallowing the bile rising up his throat, he mumbled, "Damn it, Tifa… What the hell were you thinking…?"

"She saved my life."

Cloud looked up to find his brother standing there, holding the silver briefcase towards him. He took it and set it on the ground. "I want to know what happened once Tifa's okay, but for now, hold the compress so I can open the case."

Zack nodded and knelt down, pressing both hands to the blood-soaked towel as Cloud shifted to open the lock on the case. Once he did, he lifted the cover to reveal a pile of materia. The raven-haired man watched his brother as he shifted through, examining all the green ones for something.

Cloud stopped with a particular orb in his hand and turned to face Tifa again. He motioned for Zack to move back and held the materia over the woman he loved. Focusing all his might into the orb, he felt his strength start to seep away as he poured his energy into the spell and, in turn, to Tifa. Her body glowed with an eerie green incandescence and, slowly, her damaged flesh started to knit back together. Once he was sure her wound had closed, he disconnected the spell and leaned back, feeling a dark fog creep over his mind. Soon enough, the exhaustion of casting such a powerful spell won out and he felt himself fall to the floor.

* * *

"Cloud…?"

He jumped awake at the sound of the feeble moan and turned to his right to find Tifa lying belly-down beside him on his bed. He pulled himself to a sitting position and looked at her with worry clear in his gaze. "Tifa, are you alright?"

She gave a pathetic groan and shifted to bury her face in the bedspread. "Cloud, don't…"

He reached out to touch her shoulder softly. "Don't what?"

"Don't touch me. I don't deserve to have you touch me…"

"Tifa?"

"Nn…?"

"Shut up."

She turned to look at him again with a confused expression. "Cloud—"

He gave his head a shake. "I don't care, Tifa. I love you. Zack told me you wound up like this because you were protecting him after killing one of your assailants. It's all the proof I need to know you're through with the WRO."

"Cloud, I…"

"Tifa, if you can tell me you love me and mean it, then I don't see a point in us staying apart anymore. Yes, you betrayed me, but… You risked your life to save my brother; the only family I have left. You…" He reached out and took her hand. "You almost died today…"

Tears started to well up in her eyes and she sniffled to hold them back. "C-Cloud…"

"Tifa, if you'd died, I… I don't know what I'd do. I've never felt remotely like this in my life."

She blinked her tears away and cringed when she hiccupped. "Cloud…"

"Tifa… Can you tell me you love me?"

"Y-yes, Cloud…"

"Tifa?"

"I l-love you… I love you, Cloud…"

"Hey, you kids okay?"

Cloud looked up to see Zack leaning in the doorway with a crinkled brow. The blond nodded once and glanced down to Tifa. "Yeah. She'll live, anyway."

"What about you? You went down kinda quick back there…"

"It was just exhaustion. That's why materia's so hard to come by. The government has so many laws surrounding it for a reason. I helped to put some of those in place. Materia was still somewhat common when I was in the military, so I got training with it, but most people nowadays…"

"Whatever." Zack shrugged. "Oh, yeah. How do you get blood out of tan carpet?"

Cloud sighed and glanced over at Tifa to find she'd dozed off. He gently lifted the back of her shirt to check her wound and, once satisfied with its progress, stood up and walked towards Zack. "Hire a professional and tell them it's red wine."

"Ah, okay. Anyone in particular you want?"

He walked out to the main room and over to the bar. After pouring himself a scotch and downing it right away, he said, "I don't care. Just open the phone book and pick one."

Zack walked over to where the two WRO bodies were still on the floor. "Better hope they can get 'wine' off hardwood, too."

"Zack, you… You know you killed someone today, right?"

"Yeah, I know." He looked up at his brother. "But it was self-defense! I can't be put away for that, can I?"

He poured himself another drink and gulped it down. "There'll probably be a small court run, but you ought to be fine. It's more of a formality so they have it all on record."

"Okay… If you're sure…"

"I am. If nothing else, I'll make sure you get out of this okay."

"Thanks, man."

"I know you can't always help your instincts, but we're all the family we have. If we can't look after each other, then who in the world can we possibly trust?"

"Good point, I guess."

"…You know, I never blamed you for anything you did."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I know you couldn't help how that drunken bastard raised you."

"Cloud, despite the fact that he was always drunk and always paid more attention to our neighbor's rack than to me doesn't change the fact that he was our father."

"Whatever. I can't help but be grateful that I never knew him, though."

Zack gave a sigh and pulled a beer from the fridge. "Lucky you. Being born after Dad left with me."

"I couldn't change that."

"I know… But sometimes… Sometimes I wonder how life would've been if I'd been left with you and Mom. I wonder what I would've done if I hadn't been raised around cigarettes, beer, and half-naked women."

"What did you come up with?"

"I think… I think I probably would've either joined the military or saved up to open a bakery."

Cloud bit back a snort. "You? A bakery?"

"Yeah! You know, those cakes and pies that I always have around here aren't store-bought…"

"Seriously? You baked those?"

"And decorated!"

Cloud couldn't help his surprise and stood in silence for a minute until a small voice sounded behind him, "Could I try one sometime…?"

The blond turned on his heel to find Tifa holding herself up in the doorway to his bedroom, clinging onto the frame and looking about ready to drop to the floor. Cloud swiftly moved to her side, just barely getting his arms around her before she collapsed into him. He held her to him as tightly as he could without putting pressure on her back. "Tifa, what the hell are you doing up for?"

She leaned into him and fisted her hands in his shirt. "C-Cloud…"

Cloud gave a sigh and slowly lifted her in his arms before cringing visibly as she cried out in pain. "Tifa… You've just been shot. You shouldn't be walking around just a few hours after that."

Zack looked around uncomfortably for a minute. "Um… I'll get started on dinner."

His brother nodded his appreciation as he carried Tifa back to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and sat down next to her while slowly shifting his fingers through her hair. "Tifa, I love you. If you can prove to me, over time, that you've changed, then… If you want to, maybe we can resume the engagement?"

She turned against the mattress to look at him as best she could. "Cloud, do you mean that…?"

He averted his gaze for a moment. "Tifa, I told you, I love you. I'm happy when you're here with me. If you feel the same, then I don't see why we should kill ourselves over not being together."

"But… But, how can you trust me…?"

"I don't know, but we'll work on it." He stood and made for the door. "Get some rest. I'll wake you when dinner's ready."

"Cloud?"

He turned back to her. "Hm?"

"I love you…"

He gave a little nod and clicked the lights out. "I know."

After walking back out to the main room and pulling up a stool, he looked up to address his brother at stove. "Zack?"

He turned with a grin. "Hm?"

"Why didn't you tell me you'd been with Tifa?"

Zack's face dropped as shock started to take shape. He stood there, just staring, for a long moment before finally blurting, _"What?!"_

Cloud sighed and looked down at his hands. "She told me, Zack. Why didn't you? Did you think to spare my feelings, because you know—"

Zack managed to find his voice and said, "Look, Cloud, I don't know what she told you, but I'd never been with her. The first time I saw her was when you introduced me to her and while, yeah, she was—is—a total hottie, she was a little too geeky for my tastes. And you seemed to be pretty stuck on her. I wasn't going to get in the middle when you'd finally found someone you liked and, apparently, loved."

Tifa's weak voice sounded from the bedroom, "Cloud.... Cloud…!"

He slid off his stool and watched Zack for a moment before turning and walking to the bedroom. Tifa looked up at him as he came inside and sat on the mattress beside her. "What is it, Tifa?"

"Can you call Zack? I… I want to explain… I could hear what you were talking about and I don't want this to ruin your friendship."

"Okay." Cloud nodded and called for Zack, who came in a moment later and took a seat in the black leather desk chair.

Tifa looked back and forth between them for a minute before speaking, "Yes, Cloud, I told you I'd been in bed with Zack. I said that because I was trying to ignore my feelings at the time so I could fulfill my mission. I… I also said it because it's true."

Zack scratched his head. "Then why don't I remember?"

"As a member of the WRO, I took on a variety of disguises to keep my connections separate. Zack, do you remember Tarja Eneberg?"

"Well, yeah, she's the cutie who told me to fuck off after we—Wait. What are you saying?"

"Tarja was me. I was Tarja. Whatever. I was under disguise, trying to pry information on Cloud out of you so I could get closer to him and search for the mako reactor security codes. Things got so messed up… My mission was over the moment I realized I'd fallen in love with you, Cloud. I just didn't realize it. I was too proud to admit that I fell in love… I thought I could do any job, no matter what… Gods, I'm such a fool."

Zack ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Oi… This complicates things a little."

Cloud finally spoke, "What happens now?"

Tifa looked at him. "What… What do you mean?"

"What do you want to do? Where do you want to go? Who… Who do you want to be with…?"

"Cloud, I told you, I love you. Yes, Zack is a great guy, but he's more of a friend to me… You're the only one, Cloud. The only one…"

"What about the other two questions?"

"W-Well… I want to stay with you, wherever that may be. I don't care what I'm doing."

Cloud sighed and shifted to lie back against the pillows. "Technically, you're as innocent as Zack. You killed on self-defense when two terrorists managed to get into my apartment. You killed one and then got shot yourself. We don't know the name or face of Bartender… For all we know, she could be halfway around the world. There's no real evidence pointing you towards the WRO…"

"Cloud, I…"

"Of course, being the lawful citizen I am, I'd have to make sure you received some kind of unofficial punishment…"

"O-okay, Cloud."

Zack cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry, but am I the only one who's disturbed by what just happened?"

* * *

Cloud laid back on the plush mattress with his fingers linked behind his head, staring at the ceiling while contemplating the events of two years ago. His eyes shifted to look down as two fingers settled on his stomach and slowly walked their way up his bare chest. A smile crossed his features and he shifted his gaze to look down at the brown hair splaying out from underneath the bedcovers.

As the fingers reached up to his chin, he craned his neck to reach out and nip lightly at them. The owner of the fingers gave a startled yelp of surprise and shifted out from under the bedspread. Ruby eyes narrowed at him and slipped one leg across his so she could lay belly-down on top of him. He watched her as she crawled up him and pressed her lips to his.

She pulled back and sat up straight, tugging one of his hands out from behind his head and moving it up so she could suck on his index finger. He kept his blue eyes on her crimson ones as she shifted to take his middle finger in her mouth and suck for a moment before moving to the next finger. She brought her tongue into play and ran it along the golden band on his finger, letting her lips curve into a smile as she continued her teasing.

He moved his free hand up to bury in her hair and tug her closer, slowly pulling his other hand out of her mouth so he could kiss her. Shifting underneath her, he rolled over to put her on the bottom and straightened himself to look down at her with a smile. "Tifa, I love you."

She gave a little giggle and raised her arms to wrap over his shoulders. "I love you, too, Cloud."

He leaned down to kiss her again and pulled back in surprise when a door slammed from down the hall and a familiar voice called out, "Heeey!!! Cloud! Tifers! You guys home?!"

"Shit!" Cloud mumbled, jumping out of the bed and grabbing a pair of lounge pants off the floor before tugging them up. Tifa grabbed a bra and panty set and pulled it on before snatching her silky robe. After pulling that on, she followed her husband out of the bedroom and down the hall of the sunny villa towards the front door. Zack stood in the middle of the sitting room with bags spread all around his feet and a tacky-patterned beach shirt on his back.

He grinned. "Geez. You two have been married for, what? Just about a year now and you're still doing the nasty at…" He glanced at the clock on the wall. "…Seven-thirty in the morning." He turned to look over his shoulder and called out the open door, "Hey! You forgot to tell me about the time change!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow that only went higher as Aerith walked in with a bright smile. "Morning, kids! How's life been treating you?"

The blond wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and pulled her to him, kissing her briefly before turning back to their guests. "Very pleasurably."

Aerith rolled her eyes for a moment and took a seat on one of the plush chairs set in the room. "I should've known."

Cloud gave a little shrug. "Yeah, you should've."

Zack dropped down into another chair. "Yeah, anyway, it's, like, two-thirty in Midgar, so I was thinking it was that late here, too."

He sighed, moving to sit down and pull Tifa on his lap. "I didn't think you were coming for another few hours. And why is Aerith here?"

The older woman gave a pout. "What? You're not happy to see me?"

Zack laughed at that and said, "Well, like I said, the time change messed me up. As for Aerith, well…" He looked over at the brunette. "You want to tell them or should I?"

She shrugged. "You can."

"Okay, so… Aerith and me are dating now!"

Cloud's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously?"

"Yep! Aerith came into my bakery and recognized me as your brother, so we started talking. We went to get coffee and one thing led to another! So, here we are, dating! I mentioned I was coming out here to visit you guys and Aerith asked if she could come along. I told her it oughta be fine and that it'd be the perfect opportunity to tell you two about us!"

Tifa smiled as Cloud's arm moved up to settle around her waist and changed the subject. "So, ah, where are you guys staying?"

Zack grinned. "Here."

Cloud's eyebrows went straight up. "Excuse me?"

"Aw, come on! You have, what? Five bedrooms?"

Tifa shrugged a little and said, "Well, yeah, but one is ours, one was converted to an office, one is still empty, one is a guest room you guys can fight over, and the last one is undergoing the process of being turned into a baby room."

Aerith waved a hand. "That's okay. We can share a room."

Zack spoke up after a minute. "…Wouldn't it make sense to wait to set up a baby room until you're actually pregnant?"

Cloud and Tifa just exchanged a quick glance before the former managed, "Well, uh…"

The raven-haired man's jaw hit the floor. "No shit! You guys are having a baby? Aw, this is sweet! I'm gonna be an uncle! Score! Didja hear that, Aer? I'm gonna be an uncle!"

Tifa pointed to herself and Cloud. "How about some hype for the parents-to-be?"

"Oh, yeah!" He brightened even more and ran over, throwing his arms around his sister-in-law to hug her and then moved on to hug his brother. "Aw, man, this is so cool! Congrats, you guys!"

Cloud shoved his brother back with a sincere grin. "Shove off, Zack."

He grinned. "But you're gonna be a daddy! You deserve a hug!"

Cloud shoved him back again, but kept his smile regardless. "Zack…"

Aerith beamed at the couple. "So, how far along are you, Tifa?"

She smiled and settled a hand on her stomach. "Somewhere between a month and a half and two. We'll know for sure when we go to our first ultrasound in a week."

"Well, congratulations, you two! You guys deserve this after all the craple-dee-doo you've gone through."

"Thanks…" Tifa rubbed her hand over her still-flat stomach. "Aerith…?"

"Hm?"

"How's the hunt for WRO going?"

Aerith sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Well, we've captured the man you called First, plus twenty-seven others. You said the WRO was a small group, right?"

Tifa stood up and walked over to look out the window. "Yes. There had to be less than forty members and at least two are dead. So that leaves about ten still out there…"

Cloud walked up next to her and pulled her into his arms. "Don't worry, Tifa. I'll make sure you and the baby are safe."

Tifa crunched her bare heel down on his toes. "Don't be stupid. I'll fight, too."

His face formed a grimace, but he didn't show any other signs of pain as Zack gave a full-fledged laugh. "Aw, man. That's good… Nice move, Teef!"

Cloud shot his brother glare before grabbing hold of Tifa's upper arms. "Tifa, look, I…" He glanced over at Zack and Aerith watching them and turned to open the sliding door before stepping out and pulling his wife with him. He called back to the two waiting inside, "Just make yourselves comfortable. You shouldn't have much trouble finding the guest room."

Zack and Aerith nodded as he closed the door and took Tifa's hand. He led her down the beach, pausing after a moment to stand in the morning winds. He stepped behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "Tifa, I said that because I love you. I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of you," he whispered as he slipped the pads of his fingers inside her robe to stroke her stomach tenderly.

"Cloud…" She sank back into him and set her hands on his. "I just want you to remember that I'm not some helpless woman who _needs_ protection."

A slow smirk crossed his face and he murmured, "You're pregnant, aren't you?"

"Huh? Cloud, I don't- Oh. Cloud, that's not what I meant and you know it."

"I know, Tifa. I know. I'm sorry… I just _want_ to protect the both of you."

"Cloud, we shouldn't need protection. It's been a year and a half since I gave all the information I have to ShinRa and still ten members of the WRO have stayed on the loose…"

"Tifa…"

"I know. It doesn't matter, anyway. We'll be safe here in Costa del Sol. As long as we're together, Cloud…"

"Yeah…" He echoed, "As long as we're together…"

* * *

**Well, there you have it. There's the end of this five-part fic. I hope you enjoyed and I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update it! Please let me know what you think!**

**-Valk**


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